Electric toaster



March 21,, 1939. E. BELCHER 2,151, 1

EL ECTRI C TOASTER Filed Feb. 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I INVENTOR. %/ferf. 58/6466! Z/Qzfi ATTORNEYS.

March 21, 1939.

W. E. BELCHER ELECTRIC TOASTER Filed Feb. 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'l il o 0 4?;

4. a INVENTOR. WO/ffifi 58/fier aq (1? q A TTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 21, 1939 v onireo STATES, PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC TOASTER WaltcrE. Belcher, Seattle, W sh, assignor to Electrical Safety Appliance Co. Inc., Seattle, Wasln, a corporation of- Washington Application February 15, 1 936, Scrial No. 64,127, (o1. 219-19) This invention relates to electrical appliances e t t e View being taken o n e a g d s fll and particularly is directed to an electric toaster. and

The primary object of the invention is to so per- F 6 s a dia a ma v w of the electric fect a, toaster as to render the same fully autocircuit employed.

5 matic and otherwise eliminate deficiencies which n Sa d d aw gs, t e numeral represents a render toasters as heretofore developed objection casing providing a, chamber I I extending the able. length of the casing and desirably forms with More particularly stated, it is an object oi my closed secondary chambers I 2 at each 'sid To invention to provide a toaster capable of handling y h d s p o Said main Chamber I y i substantially any desired number of bread slices be co side ed s providing Commu icating comand which requires no attention other than the partments at opposite ends, one of which constiplacing of such slices upon a receiving platform tutes a supply chamber for the bread slices and Zion; which the shoes are successively fed through ghe (Auger a heating chambler hlrioughdvghich :fie e oas er. rea ices are successive y e vere mm c 5 It is a further, and particular object to provide. supply chamber for toasting the same. Said a toaster in which the desired degree of toasting heating compartment isi'ormed with a top wall is obtained through a regulation of thecffective and in the end wall of the same a discharge heat alprtiilied tfdttlhetibreag sliges rafthfir than by thjr orat 3 (is priolvided. 1 4 t t fi a reg a on o l e me ura ion o t e oasting ovi e in e suppy compar men as a oor operation. a Y for supporting the bread slices is a platform I! A still further and particular object of my inand I pivotally support the same at one end over vention is to provide a toaster in which the toasta horizontal shaft I4 journaled in bearings I5 to ingj acttion is initittgd onlydhiheeresponse to lthe gxtendf, transiveigsety oi the chamber, cilzhe gltaltfortrfi pro ec ion 0 a pre e ermine t from the e eceing orme 'a i s approxima e mi -wi wi trio elements, thereby assuring uniformity in the a longitudinally extending depressed channel-way first as well as succeeding slices introduced to the I8. At opposite sides of the platform and proteastei". jecting forwardly to the discharge throat I3 are It is a still further and particular object to wire extensions I9 disposed flush with the platproviige elimtglnt boxes so designed as to prevent form surfaceh ft fun d b d sags g o e elemen s in response to heat- .As wi l e ereina er more y escri e a influenced expansion or" the same. forward support for said platform comprises a Further objects and advantages, together with switch mechanism consisting in circuit-closing the foregoing, will appear'in the course of the terminalslil and 2|, the'terminal 20 being cariollowing detailed descripitlion and claims, the inried by azstzgtiionary tratnzverseflbar 2:1 and1 the; vention. consisting in t e novel construction, terminal e ng moun e on e un ersi e o adaptation, and combination of parts hereinafter I the platform, an extension spring 23 engaging the 0 described and claimed. r rear terminus of the platform for normally ele- In the drawings: vating the terminal 2| out of circuit-closing con- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section tact with the terminal 20 through a toaster constructed in accordance with Revolubly ed by Sam s a I4 t l ca e e 0 the new preferred embodiment of the invention, same longitudinal plane of the e the section being taken on the longitudinal me- Way i g i If oplPoslte man tithe 82506122 2425; i tir oitiii 23; 55;: 3522 svmmn merger t9 {en on cally spaced idler wheels 25, said wheels 25 and i l 1 ti 1 T22 25 receiving an endless chain 26 which, at spaced f e e em W a intervals, is formed with medially located conportion of the casing removed to indicate the a veyor arms 21. Through the medium of interparallel 1111K mechanism employed to regulate the meshing reduction gearing 23, said h ft is driven position of the toasting elements relative to the from an e1ecmca11y energized motor 3 bread Supported in said forward heating comparts is a transverse vertical section taken on m; f th main chamber II to lie above and line iel of Fig, 1. below the wire extensions of the platform ii are Fig. 5 is a fragmentary. horizontal sectional horizontally disposed and vertically adjustable view of the supporting means for the heating eleelement boxes comprised of a main U-shaped versely spaced intervals irerne Si in the open end of which an end bar is slidably mounted, said end bar and the end wall of the frame 35 being apertured at transto receive heating elements as 33. Suitable insulating plates are indicated at 34. Said slide mounting of one end wall of the element box peculiarlyacts to accommodate expansion and contraction of the elements under the influence of heat and, to maintain tension on the sliding bar, the main frame of the box is formed with inturned terminal fingers 35 apertured for the passage of threaded pins 38 extending from the sliding bar and receiving springs Bl over the exposed ends. The tension of the springs is regulated by adjusting nuts38 threaded on the pins.

As respects the referred-to vertical adjustment of the element boxes, I provide supporting pins ill? at each end which extend laterally through vertical slots M in the side walls into the secondary chambers at each side of the casing, operating mechanism in the respective secondary chamhers comprising pairs of parallel links 2 actuated by a horizontal peg mounting 44. A lever 45 fulcrum-ed as at 48 engages said bar and is in turn operated from a sliding rack-bar ll the teeth of which are in mesh with a gear 48. A knurled handle 49 or other suitable operating lever foractuating said gear projects exterlorly of the casing and is or may be providedwith a pointer for locating the same in desired positions.

Particularly with respect to the electric circuit for the heating elements, the terminal 2i conmeets with one pole of a plug while the terminal it leads through the heating elements 33 to theopposite pole of the plug, the electric circuit for the chain-actuating motor being independent and including a circuit-closing bi-metallic switch 50 which is supported above the heating elements within the heating compartment of the toaster whereby to obtain a closing of the terminalsil and 52 thereof only in response to the development of a predeternnned heat within the heating compartment.

In operating the toaster, any desired number of bread slices represented by the letter T are introduced through the open end of the casing over the platform ll, acting to depress the platform to obtain circuit-closing contact of the switch terminals 20 and an electric circuit through the elements 33. Coincident with the expansion of the elements under their developed. heat of resistance, the springs Bl express the pins 36 outwardly to maintain the elements taut and, as the elements reach their maximum heating efllciency, the bi metalllc switch is caused to bend in response to the greater expansion of one metal relative to the other and efiects circuit-closing contact between the terminals 5i and 32 tocomplete an electric circuit through the motor 30. Motor 30 drives the conveyor chain to successively feed the bread slices through the heating compartment, the toast bebar 53 slidably received in a 2! whereby to complete ing discharged through throat it. The decree of toasting is governed by mo in; the element boxes direotivel'y to or from the plane of travel of the bread slices. As the final bread slice is toasted and discharged from the wire extensions i9 of the platform, spring 23 elevates the platform to deenergiz'e the element circuit through an opening of the switch terminals 20 and 2!, the contraction of the elements-compressing the springs 31 and the bi-metalllc switch subsequently breaking contact between terminals 5! and 52 to open the motor circuit.

The invention is believed clear from the foregoing description of the preferred illustrated embodiment. Modifications will readily suggest themselves and I accordingly intend that the appended claims be given the breadth in their construction which is commensurate with the scope of the invention within the art.

What I claim, is:

1. In a toaster, in combination a toasting compartment having electric-heategenerating means therein, a normally incomplete electric circuit including said heat-generating means mechanism for delivering a bread slice into toasting position within the toasting compartment, electrically controlled means for operating said delivery mechanism, a'normally incomplete electric circuit including said operating means, a switch acting to complete the first-named circuit'operated automatically by the weight of a bread slice introduced to the delivery mechanism, and a switch acting to-complete the last-named circuit operated automatically in response to the development of a. predetermined heat within the toasting compartment.

2. In a toaster, in combination with a toastin compartment, mechanical means for feeding the work to and discharging the work from the compartment, means co-active therewith for operating the feed means only in response to the development of a predetermined heat within the toasting compartment, and means associated with each of said means and acting directly upon the last-named means for automatically terminating the work-feeding operation following the discharge of the work from the toasting compartment.

3. In a toaster, a toasting compartment, electric heating elements supported therein, a normally open electric circuit including'seid heating elements, electrically operated feed mechanism for introducing the work from a supply compartment therefor to the toasting compartment, a

normally open electric circuit including the operating means for the feed mechanism, and means the operation of which is automatically initiated by introduction of work to the supply compartment for closing said circuits successively to energlze the heating elements in advance of the energizing of said operating means for the feed mechanism.

WALTER E. BELCHER. 

